Mackay, Isaac, Whitsunday Regional Water Strategy Contents Strategy on a page ................................................................................................................................ vi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. viii Defining desired outcomes ......................................................................................................................................... viii Approach to developing the Strategy ........................................................................................................................ ix Regional Water Strategy ............................................................................................................................................... xiii Actions that support Economic Enablers ............................................................................................................... xiv Actions that support Service Needs ........................................................................................................................ xxv 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Objectives and purpose ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Defining the Mackay, Isaac Whitsunday region ........................................................................................... 1 1.3. Approach to developing the Strategy .............................................................................................................. 3 1.4. Stakeholder engagement ...................................................................................................................................... 3 1.5. Structure of this report ........................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Existing water supply and use .................................................................................................... 6 2.1. Legislative framework for water supply and use .......................................................................................... 6 2.2. Water supply ............................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.3. Water use and trade .............................................................................................................................................. 14 2.4. Potential future demand ...................................................................................................................................... 23 3. Water source analysis .................................................................................................................. 27 3.1. Surface water sources ........................................................................................................................................... 27 3.2. Groundwater sources ............................................................................................................................................ 39 3.3. Recycled water sources ........................................................................................................................................ 41 4. Service needs analysis ................................................................................................................. 49 4.1. Defining a service need ........................................................................................................................................ 49 4.2. Defining desired outcomes................................................................................................................................. 49 4.3. Regional comparative advantages ................................................................................................................... 50 4.4. Policy context ........................................................................................................................................................... 51 4.5. Concurrent investigations ................................................................................................................................... 60 4.6. Identified service needs........................................................................................................................................ 61 4.7. Mapping the MIW region’s service needs .................................................................................................... 70 5. Options identification and short listing ................................................................................ 72 5.1. Developing and short listing options for assessment .............................................................................. 72 5.2. Options that support Economic Enablers ..................................................................................................... 73 5.3. Options to meet Service Needs ........................................................................................................................ 78 i FINAL REPORT | Mackay, Isaac, Whitsunday Regional Water Strategy 5.4. Short listed options ................................................................................................................................................ 86 6. Options assessment ..................................................................................................................... 88 6.1. Qualitative prioritisation process...................................................................................................................... 90 6.2. Rapid CBA .................................................................................................................................................................. 92 7. Regional Water Strategy............................................................................................................. 94 Actions that support Economic Enablers ................................................................................................................ 95 Actions that support Service Needs ....................................................................................................................... 106 Appendix A – Regional socio-economic profile...................................................................... 116 Appendix B – Concurrent investigations ................................................................................... 125 Appendix C – Stakeholder engagement .................................................................................... 132 Appendix D – Rapid CBA assumptions and parameters ...................................................... 135 References ............................................................................................................................................ 138 Document History .............................................................................................................................. 142 Tables Table 1 Water Availability in the Burdekin Water Plan Area ....................................................................................... 8 Table 2 Unallocated Water Available in the Burdekin Basin Water Plan ................................................................ 9 Table 3 Entitlements in the Whitsunday Water Plan Area ......................................................................................... 10 Table 4 Unsupplemented Entitlements in the Whitsunday Water Plan Area ..................................................... 11 Table 5 Unallocated Water Available in the Whitsunday Water Plan .................................................................... 11 Table 6 Entitlements in the Pioneer Water Plan Area .................................................................................................. 12 Table 7 Unsupplemented Licenses in the Pioneer Water Plan Area ...................................................................... 12 Table 8 Unallocated Water Available in the Pioneer Water Plan ............................................................................ 13 Table 9 Fees and charges for MIW Water Supply Schemes for 2020/21 ............................................................. 19 Table 10 Pioneer Valley Water Cooperative Limited Charges 2020/21 ................................................................ 20 Table 11 Forecast water demand for selected Isaac Regional Council towns ................................................... 26 Table 12 Arrow CSG water quality release limits ........................................................................................................... 42 Table 13 Related policies and government objectives ................................................................................................ 51 Table 14 Summary of Concurrent Investigations .......................................................................................................... 60 Table 15 Policy, regulatory and advocacy options long list ...................................................................................... 74 Table 16 Water supply options longlist ............................................................................................................................